Month: October 2015

Halloween is the ancient Celtic holiday that marks the end of the harvest season and the start of Winter. I sure hope Winter doesn’t commence anytime soon as we (in Michigan) have been experiencing a glorious Fall that needs to stick around for a few more weeks. The Celts also believed the seasonal transition period opened up a bridge to the Dead, hence the spooky atmosphere. Though it started out as a pagan then Christian holiday, it’s morphed into a secular neighborly fun day for kids. And speaking of this weekend, don’t forget to turn your clocks back an hour Sunday morning asDaylight Saving Time ends and we Fall Back to Standard Time. Arizona and Hawaii don’t follow Daylight Saving time and quite frankly, it is an antiquated system, and for some, it causes physical ailments and should be abandoned.

For all the young families, like Ariella and Tzvi.

Shalom Chaver

On November 4, 1995 (20 years ago this week), a war hero turned peacemaker was gunned down for his latter efforts. Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin was killed by a radical extremist who believed murder was the route to “saving” the Jewish State. As we’ve witnessed our whole existence, violence is only the route to evil outcomes and relegated to our enemies while sadly we must elevate and innovate our strength in defense. Unlike today, there was mutual admiration and respect between the leadership of Israel and the US. Clinton and Rabin were close friends as Clinton’s eulogy ended with“Shalom Chaver” (goodbye friend). Where would Israel be today had Rabin lived? Clinton suspected we’d be much closer to peaceful relations with his views in this recently printed article to memorialize the 20th anniversary of Rabin’s death. http://www.timesofisrael.com/clinton-i-really-loved-rabin-and-he-would-have-made-peace/ Clinton will also be at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv this weekend to pay tribute to his dear friend.

Yitzhak and Bill

The Search is On

Also in Israel this week is…God. Well, the real One is probably there all the time, but the actor who portrayed him in the Bruce Almighty movies (which I loved), Morgan Freeman was there for a visit. He’s in the Holy Land filming a National Geographic documentary on “The Story of God”. Israel is one of many sites they plan to visit to investigate Human’s (past and present) passion for religion. Here is an article that gives more details to this story but I’ve also included it for their verbiage of Jerusalem’s “Wailing” Wall. Who still calls it the Wailing Wall? Apparently this online Hollywood magazine,Deadline, still does. http://deadline.com/2015/06/morgan-freeman-host-the-story-of-god-national-geographic-channel-1201441271/

But here is an uplifting story about co-existence through food. Bravo to the owner of the restaurant (near Netanya) called the Hummus Bar which discounts meals to diners who eat their meal in mixed company of Arabs and Jews. I am all in favor of whatever incentive works to help build bridges and what better way than over a bowl of Hummus.

For all the efforts of co-existence, there seems to be twice as many against. Case in point, the South African ruling party African National Congress(ANC) should know, first hand, what Apartheid is, yet they chose the bias side by promoting an Israel travel Boycott. It’s despicable that they single out Israel as an apartheid nation with facts of societal equality everywhere from the Supreme Court to the Medical Field to the Knesset, while ignoring flat out Human Rights violations of many other countries that they suggest their citizens freely visit. http://www.timesofisrael.com/south-africa-ruling-party-discourages-travel-to-israel/

Family Dynamics

Two husband and (finally) two children could be the norm for China. When your national policy limits you to one child and most Chinese families prefer boys (and often illegally arrange gender-selective abortions), your society will inevitably have a male heavy population which is exactly the fact in China. Because of “Supply and Demand”, a Chinese Economist recommends women take two husbands. It’s a practical economic solution that solves the issue for men who don’t have high incomes to share the cost of marriage and prevents “male old maids” who won’t have children to care for them. Interestingly, nowhere in this article did I see the world “love”.

Who says eating processed meat is bad for you? WHO does… The World Health Organization suggests you put down that chilly dog, BLT and Salami Sandwich in consideration of your colon. Vegan and vegetarians are rejoicing over the WHOs declaration that Red and Processed Meat can cause Cancer. Personally, I believe in moderation to stay healthy and satisfied.

As we end Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I must admit, I’m perplexed that the American Cancer Society now recommends fewer mammograms in a woman’s lifetime. Apparently false positives and the added cost and health concerns outweigh the benefits. Also, suggested is the end to doctor office visit breast exams which all seem strange to me. You’d think we should be examining ourselves more often to detect any changes but I’m sure the medical professionals reading this might feel differently.

Please be aware that (our) City of Farmington will be holding Municipal elections (Mayor, City Council and Millage votes) this Tuesday Nov. 3rd. If you live in FH, please get out and vote. You can check to see if your city is holding elections this Tuesday by viewing your city’s webpage. Here is the FH’s website where you can click on a sample ballot for your precinct.

Bravo to REI for closing on Black Friday so employees (who will still get paid) (and customers) can enjoy the Great Outdoors. http://www.rei.com/

“Easy To Be Hard”

In memory of the passing of Cory Wells (age 74), one of the lead singers ofThree Dog Night, and in tribute to lyrics that represent the sad and frustrating violence taking place against innocent Israelis, here is a song we all need to hear more us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYdc6-vUcsI

“How can people be so heartlessHow can people be so cruelEasy to be hardEasy to be cold”

Wishing you and your family a

Peaceful Shabbat Shalom.

Lisa

Condolences

Parents and grandparents are are not suppose to bury their children and grandchildren but sadly this was the case as Alex Bruni z”l (age 22) died this week in a horrible car accident near Ann Arbor. Alex was a University of Michigan grad with an interest in Medicine and a constant smile for life that was tragically cut short. My thoughts and prayers are with Alex’s parents, Sherry and Mark Bruni and their entire family. May his life be a blessing onto his family, friends and community.

It has been a very sad week in our community as our son, Aviv’s, favorite High School teacher also passed away at a young age. Condolences to the family of Jennifer Lanxner z”l, mother of 3 sons, exceptional Hebrew teacher and a truly kind and compassionate person. May her memory and spirit take hold in those she touched with her dedication to teaching as she was surely a blessing onto many students in our community.

Sending Love and Hugs to our Florida family Jandy, Rob, Max and Zoey Spiegelman and the the whole Spiegelman family on the passing of Rob’s wonderful father, Donny Spiegelman z”l who was married to his beloved wife of 60 years, Bunny Spiegelman. Donny was a kind, sweet, dapper man who raised a beautiful loving family. He will be greatly missed and was truly a blessing onto his family and community.

Condolences to Linda Kovan and her family on the passing of her father, Dr. Thomas Kovan z”l. May his memory and spirit bring comfort to those who knew and loved him and may his life be a blessing to his family and community.

Paul Ryan is our new Speaker of the House while our legislators also voted in a two year budget deal as John Boehner’s last hurrah. GOP candidates debated this week on CNBC about all things Money related, but the biggest attack was by the Republicans against CNBC, the moderators and the supposedly unfair “catcha” questions. The best line was John Kasich‘s Talmud quote, paraphrased “save one life, save the world”. Soft-spoken Dr. Ben Carson has now taken the lead in the polls but I’m sure Trump won’t take this situation too lightly.

These Shabbat Shalom emails are my beekeeping, bodybuilding, basket weaving, bird watching…my hobby. Like all hobbies, time spent on them is based on time availability. This week’s writing hobby was squeezed between a trip to NYC, Paul McCartney concert and the western Michigan shores ofSaugatuck, leaving only a few hours to research, write and create the email. Some of you might appreciate a more abbreviated message as today’s email might only take one viewing to read.

Marty McFly

Speaking of Time…it certainly flies and seems to accelerate as we get older. I turn 55 tomorrow yet I often still feel like a teenager. Kinda like, Marty McFlywho (in the 2nd sequel) soared Back to the Future from the mid 1980s to

Oct. 21, 2015 to “save his children”. An awesome trilogy with heart and soul. Hopefully our future will hold the key to the debilitating disease, Parkinson’s, which took hold early on to the life and body of actor Michael J. Fox. Just last week, Michigan Israel Business Bridge honored Dr. Eva Feldman for her immense contributions to science and medicine as she zeros in on cures for Parkinson’s, ALS, Alzheimers and others from research with Stem Cells. May her discoveries benefit those in our lifetime.

“Marty McFly”

US Politics

The political news of the week is that (after intense contemplation) Veep Bidenhas decided not to run for president. Biden and his family have been mourning the loss of son, Beau, and feel the timing isn’t right to amass a strong presidential campaign. This comes as good news for Hillary as she testified Thursday at the Benghazi Committee that will hopefully complete its (drawn out) investigation (of the tragic loss of 4 Americans in Libya) and submit its report sometime next year. And the Republicans’ dance card has added Paul Ryan as potential House Speaker after conditionally accepting to tango as long as he has cooperating partners between the Freedom Caucus (the extreme conservatives) and the mainstream conservatives. Can Ryan heal their fractured party so “our representatives” can start working across the aisle to pass bills on behalf of their constituents or will it be the same old stubbornness and extreme views we are already experiencing?

Paul Ryan, House Speaker?

World Politics

To the rest of the world, our (basicly unlimited) campaign season and expenditures are absurd. We spend excessive time and money on our races. Our races generally start close to two years in advance. Ted Cruz announced his candidacy nearly 600 days before the election, compared to the following countries:

Canada‘s longest race was 18.5 weeks

Australia‘s longest race was 11 weeks

France‘s races are 2 weeks

Japan‘s races are 12 days

Singapore‘s races are 9 days

Israel‘s races are 150 days and the last 30 days with no ads on TV or in movie theaters.

But the biggest waste is the excessive campaign money showered by one of the worst mistakes of our Supreme Court, Citizens United. It’s a domino effect; we need a president who can appoint Justices who will repeal CU. Sorry conservative friends, I feel strongly about this one. Please don’t unsubscribe…

The whole point to this paragraph was to spotlight the new Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau (age 43) from the Liberal Party, knocking out Conservative (though Canada’s conservatives are US’s moderates), Stephen Harpers‘ nearly 10 year rein. Some of Trudeau’s main concerns are Middle Class Tax Relief, Environmental Concerns, Legalize Marijuana, Gun Control, Less Military and More Immigrants.

Justin Trudeau, new Canadian Prime Minister

and son of former PM Pierre Trudeau.

Israel

Israel is still experiencing daily random acts of violence while Sec. of State,John Kerry tries to calm the violence but what he needs to do is demand a halt to the incitement of lies and commandments of killing by several Arab leaders. Some in the arab community are truly brave souls, like journalist,Lucy Aharish, who is emotionally perplexed by anyone who can send children out to kill innocent people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rYCQjQkRGs

Crowned this week was the Queen Mandelbread Maven, Karen Sachse, at the 2015 Annual Bake-Off. Coming in at a close 2nd was a 4-way tie of Sherri Ketai, Joanne Aronovitz, Abbey Nathan and Diane Orley. Mazel Tov to theMandelbread Mavens of Motown on all your efforts.

Wishing you and your family a

Peaceful Shabbat Shalom

Lisa

Condolences

Thoughts and prayers are with our neighbor, Patricia Shanbom and her family on the passing of her husband of 54 years, Irving Herbert Shanbom z”l, father to Jeffrey and Laura (Freedman) Shanbom, Steven and Sherry Shanbom, Andrea and David Siegel and Sam and Franci Shanbom.

May his memory and spirit bring comfort to those who are mourning his death and my his life be a blessing unto all.

Condolences to Lisa and Steven Gretchko and their family on the passing of Lisa’s father, Norman S. Sommers z”l, (age 95). Mr. Sommers was a veteran, an attorney and an early and avid proponent of smoking bans. May his memory and community contributions bring comfort to those who knew and loved him.

What should we do when we are repeatedly and repeatedly attacked, defamed and terrorized…? Sadly it is been our history and seems our destiny. It’s cyclical and currently on the rise in Israel with the killings (3 this week), the knifings, suicide bombings, car rammings, fire bombings and rocket attacks due to the incitement of lies and rhetoric spewed via social media (and leadership) who are hateful, closed-minded, selfish, have zero value for Life and no interest in living in Peace. Lies about Israel trying to destroy Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque is preposterous but it doesn’t stop an Arab member of Knesset from voicing this libel. And Jordan’s King Abdullah (our “friend”) states that the Temple Mount should only be for Muslim prayer, ignoring and flagrantly disputing that our ancient Temple even stood there. And where is the world/media/UN condemnation of this violent incitement? Even our US administration (Israel’s “Best Friend”) blames both sides. Not true… If Arabs laid down their weapons, the violence would stop. If Israelis laid down their weapons, Jews would die in mass quantities. There are a few moderate Arabs who are speaking out against this violence, but their message needs more volume and more voices. Joseph Goebbels’ famous statement during the Holocaust haunt us, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” He continues with…“truth is the mortal enemy of the lie”. The truth about this situation is muddled in the press but here is the historical truth about our ancient Jerusalem Temple from Brown University that was published after a NYTimes article suggested the Temple’s existence might be debatable.

Israel has an incredible sense of resilience, no matter what the adversity…life, as usual, always moves on. Is it the chicken or the egg? What causes us to pick up the pieces and never give up? Has the constant attacks on our peoplehood given us the strength or we are innately strong to bear the constant attacks we must endure. Meanwhile, Concerts, music, culture, school, shopping, coffee shop visits…everyday life continues. Even our quintessential American Jewish Comic, Jerry Seinfeld, knows the importance of supporting Israel and will be gracing his humor upon Israelis in December with two shows (after the first one rapidly sold out). Kol Hakavod (All of the Respect) to Jerry for bringing his stand up act to Israel (for the first time).

The Republic of Turkey started their week with a three day mourning period for the innocent souls lost to the double suicide bombing during a Peace Rally. 95 people perished and 250 were wounded at Turkey’s deadliest terrorist attack in history. Turks are picking up the pieces as they investigate the perpetrators with blame ranging from Kurd rebels to Daesh to some who think it was the government to garner sympathy prior to the Nov. 1st elections.

Turkey’s neighborhood

Gloom vs. Glam
I cannot be all doom and gloom and what better way than a paragraph about music and the arts. Happy 50th annivesary to the National Endowments for the Arts with gratitude to President Johnson who signed the Arts and Humanity Act which planted the seed for the Endowment. Dance, Theatre, Music, Art…have all benefited from this agency but Americans are the true beneficiaries. Here is an interactive website spotlighting the NEA history:https://www.arts.gov/50th And in honor of the NEA’s Golden Jubilee, PBS hosted a jammed packed talent fest presentation preformed at the White House Wednesday (to air on PBS Jan. 8th) with the likes of Buddy Guy, Queen Latifah, Audra McDonald, Smokey Robinson, Trombone Shorty, Esperanza Spalding, Brian Stokes Mitchell, James Taylor and several more.

Happy 50th Birthday

Bernie vs. Hillary

The Dem’s Debate this week was filled with important issues like…

immigration, income and wealth inequality, cost of education, climate and environment, the banks, gun control and Health Care. But one of the most memorable lines of the night came from Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton, who said, “…the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails”. Yes, let’s put that issue to bed and discuss what is most concerning for most Americans. Hillary and Bernie dominated the debate with help from the Silver Fox, Anderson Cooper. The big question still remains about Joe Biden. Did the frontrunners’ debate success diminish his odds? His stalled decision is slowly converting from intrigue to fatigue. He needs to make up his mind…like yesterday.

Bravo to NYC restaurant owner, Danny Meyer, for eliminating tipping to help equalize the wage gap of his staff while the minimum wage increase is debated in the State.

Bravo to Hugh Hefner (89 year old editor in chief) and Playboy as they have come to the conclusion to eliminate nudes from the magazine since the internet makes their female photos obsolete. Now, you’ll really only be reading the magazine just for the article.

Bravo to California Governor Jerry Brown for signing the New Motor Voter Act which automatically registers (to vote) all new driver when receiving their licenses. They join Oregon in this opt-out policy (meaning you’ll need to opt-out of voter registration rather than asking to opt-in).

Bravo to Julie Hermelin for bringing her Momstamp website to Metro Detroit. Check out this ingenious online tool to get trusted and reliable advice on “all things” family related from connected friends. https://www.momstamp.com/

BS to Columbus Day as the real Chris Columbus was a scoundrel who kidnapped and enslaved thousands of people during his voyage, abused the natives he encountered and was brutal to his own people. As history of his atrocities come to light, many states abandoned the holiday and in our city of Detroit, a century old statue was vandalized by taping a hatchet to the head. Alaska just renamed the 2nd monday in Oct. “Indigenous People’s Day”

With our granddaughter, Dassi (and her parents Ariella and Tzvi) and our son, Mataan all in Israel, I too would like to be “Homeward Bound” as Israel is the Jewish Homeland and those living there deserve to live in peace. I know, it’s a quirky segway, but please enjoy this beautiful and vintage rendition (from 1976 SNL) of George Harrison and the other Paul singing Homeward Bound.

Our thoughts and prayers are with dear friends, Mike and Sue Curhan and their family on the passing of Michael’s beloved father, Dr. Robert Curhan z”l(age 83) who was married to his wife, Adele, for 60 years. After delivering numerous babies here in Detroit, the Curhans moved to Rhode Island where he continued his OB/GYN career for nearly 40 more years to many devoted patients. May his spirit and memories bring comfort to those who knew and love him and may his life be a blessing to all those he touched.

It’s tragic and against nature’s way when a parent must bury a child. Condolences to Jimmy and Stephanie Zack on the loss of their beloved daughter, Katherine “Katie” Hilary Zack z”l (age 41). May her love, spirit and memories help ease the pain of those mourning her loss and may her life be a blessing to her family and community.

Gertrude Woodard Taylor (1921-2015) was the daughter of a Massachusetts fisherman and the wife of a North Carolina doctor. She devoted her life to her marriage and her five children, four boys and a girl including legendary musician James Taylor. Condolences to James and his family on the loss of his mother and the life she created with her philosophy of…

Will it be this year, this decade, this century? How many more years and deaths must we endure before America’s love affair and obsession with guns comes to an end. Do gun lovers and gun makers take pride in our well known global stats that we are the leading nation in gun ownership and gun deaths? And, yes, they are inextricably connected. We have a serious addiction to guns and even baby rehab steps to wean ourselves, it’s better than the absent efforts taken so far. We need someone with balls to stop this madness and stand up to the almighty gun lobby. Let’s take Israel as an example of a nation, surrounded by enemy neighbors,(near and far) yet they think our lack of gun regulations are idiotic. With no enemies neighboring us, we’ve created one very serious internal enemy within us. Check out this eye-opening article about Israel’s regulations (and lack of mass school murders, minimal innocent gun deaths and decreased suicide rate, but no lack of terrorism, as indicated in the next paragraph): http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/the-jewish-thinker/.premium-1.679115 But we are stuck in a cycle of sadness/madness as we continue to bury our innocent gun-related victims. Life is Fragile asSting poignantly points out, while he sings this beautiful rendition with Stevie Wonder.

The Middle East is always a volatile region but this week was especially violent. Russia is bombing Syria with a few stray missiles crashing into Iran. Arab aggression against Israelis has increased as 4 Israelis were killed by terrorist attacks. A mother and father were gunned down in their car, witnessed (in the back seat) by their orphaned four children while a few days later, two Israelis were knifed to death in the old city. Also, several shots by local Arabs were aimed into Sukkot with two injuries and it seems stabbing are on the rise (Thank God for strict gun regulations in Israel otherwise more deaths would occur). An escalation of terror and threatening behavior has the Jewish community and political leadership concerned about what actions to take. We are constantly in a no win situation as evident by some media who continuously blames Israel. This week’s example came from the BBC which blamed Israel for the killing of a Palestinian yet neglected to mention he was the terrorist who had just stabbed two people to death. This was the headline the BBC used to report the incident: “Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attack kills two.” There is always a double standard involving Israel. But an AP reporter brought this to light when the US mistakenly bombed a Doctors Without Borders Hospital and he questioned the State Department as to their comparison condemnation when last summer Israel mistakenly targeted a school. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=413&v=WIIbrSHWJ7Y

Yet, we must always continue our efforts to follow the moral high ground even when odds are against us. Though, there was no second thought about his support of Israel from Jon Bon Jovi this week as he performed for the first time in Israel to a packed house in Tel Aviv. He even dedicated a song to Israel called “We Don’t Run” and suggested it be used as the Tel Aviv fight song. http://www.timesofisrael.com/empathetic-jon-bon-jovi-dedicates-song-we-dont-run-to-israel/ Of course, the king of BDS, Roger Waters lashed out at Bon Jovi for stepping foot in Israel but Howard Stern came to the rescue as only Howard can, with lots of expletives

It would have been John Lennon’s 75th birthday (today)! In his honor, aHuman Peace Sign of 2,000 people was formed in Central Park (across the street from his Dakota apartment), 35 years after he was gunned down just 2 months after his 40th birthday.

Lives Saved

A Halloween treat will be received by 6,000 families as prison inmates convicted of drug charges will be released at the end of the month. We have overcrowded prisons due to harsh drug sentencings in the 80s and 90s. Globally, the US imprisons 1/4 of all inmates. 1/3 of the convicts being released are undocumented immigrants who will be immediately deported, but that leaves 4,000 people who will need to find jobs in our society.

South Carolina got dumped on by 11 trillion gallons of water which is causing cataclysmic flooding with rivers replacing streets and lakes replacing neighborhoods. 11 dams have failed while 35 others are being carefully watched. Floodwaters unearthed caskets as shocked residents waded through the tide to collect them. Vacated homes are being looted. The water may not subside for another two weeks and the overall damage will likely be in the billions. Though Hurricane Joaquin veered from the shore, its damaging rain still reeked havoc and also took the life of the cargo ship, El Faro, attempting to avoid the storm but lost power and helplessly sank with 33 people lost at sea.

Lives in the Crossfire

The internal US investigations will be ongoing to determine why our air forces struck a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan. But the argument that it was a War Crime as opposed to a serious mistake is now being debated in the international arena. DWB has requested an independent investigation by the The International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission but it needs one of the 76 nations connected to this organization to sign on to the inquiry. By the way, neither Israel nor the United States is a member of this commission. No one has stepped up yet, but time will tell…In the meantime, burials for the 12 medical staff and 10 patients take precedent for the survivors over the investigation.

Life’s Accomplishments

Congrats to all of this week’s Nobel Prize Winners. The Nobel Prize for Peace is announced 6am today the exact time I send these messages to your inboxes so I don’t know the winner as I write these words to you… But if I were on the selection committee, I would choose Pope Francis for his humble bridge building efforts. And speaking of the Vatican, Happy 50th anniversary (Oct. 28th) to Nostra Aetate which rewrote (by Pope Paul VI) the relationship between Catholics and non-Christians (specifically Jews). It was the document that declared Jews were not guilty of killing Jesus and included a denouncement anti-semitism. http://tinyurl.com/NostraAetateSummary

Musical That Lives On…

Happy 40th anniversary to Rocky Horror Picture Show. For the past 4 decades somewhere in this nation a midnight showing of this cult classic with Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry, Meatloaf and the gang has been actively watched on neighborhood screens. The crew reunited to reminisce about the film, which started as a Play and flopped as the movie premiered but once fans caught on it reached legendary cinematic status. Enjoy this 3 minute Time Warp montage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFtARYlzkpA

Our Living Planet

1. Bravo to the Detroit Zoo for eliminating the sale of plastic water bottles thus eliminating 60,000 empty water bottles from our landfills.

3. Try to avoid buying and wean yourself off face wash and toothpaste withmicrobeads. They seep through drains and filters and end up polluting our Great Lakes. http://tinyurl.com/mircobeadsGreatLakes

Wishing you and your family a Peaceful Shabbat Shalom

Lisa

Condolences to Howard and Brenda Rosenberg, Marlene Rosenberg and their families on the passing of Shirley Rosenberg z”l (age 94). May Shirley’s long life and loving memories bring comfort to those who knew and loved her.

Condolences to Dan and Julie Sonenberg and their family on passing of Julie’s father, Meyer Arbit z”l (age 79). May Meyer’s life be a blessing onto his family and loved ones and may his memory bring comfort to those mourning his passing.

Rest in Peace, legendary Grace Lee Boggs who died this week at the age of 100. Grace was a philosopher, activist and huge Detroit promoter with a school gracing her and her husband’s name. For 7 decades she has fought for social causes throughout our community including civil rights, women’s rights, worker’s rights… She was graceful and articulate to her very end as she died peacefully in her sleep after a satisfing lifetime of dedication and commiment to her passions. http://michiganradio.org/post/remembering-detroits-grace-lee-boggs#stream/0

P.S. Many of you have indicated that these emails are being filtered out of you inboxes. You can always read them on my Facebook page and I’m working on a blog site to house and store all past emails. In addition, I’ve tried to use less graphics this week to see if that will help the delivery process.

Will he or won’t he join the race? Joe Biden won’t be at this week’s Dems. debate but his presidential decision is imminent. Apparently, it was his son, Beau’s dying wish for his father to join the race but Joe and his family are still debating the final decision.

The GOP is debating who will be their next Speaker of the House now that the front runner, Kevin McCarthy, has dropped out. Jason Chaffetz would like the job but he’s got lots of gaffs in his repertoire too. Remember, he’s the guy who presented that crazy anti-choice chart (that made no sense) to the Planned Parenthood hearing which was quickly refuted. The vote has been postponed as the search for the GOP leadership continues on…

We are in the midst of the Sukkot Season as the festive week ends with the two holidays of Shemini Atzeret (8th day of solemn gathering) and Simchat Torah (rejoicing with the Torah). My favorite weather season of Autumn is always the backdrop to this harvest celebration and this week it also included the Supermoon lunar eclipse (last occuring 33 years ago) so how can I ignore the perfect song to attach to this Harvest Lunar week. This music video creatively spans decades from now to when Neil first released it in 1992 while the consistency of Love remains the theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2MtEsrcTTs Some say Harvest Moon is the sequel to (my favorite Young Album) Harvest released 20 years prior in 1972. Apparently, Neil has used the moon in 28 of his songs and finds it his “religious” inspiration.

“Is there life on Mars?”

And speaking of celestial issues, apparently there is now definitive proof of liquid water on Mars begging the question of the existence of “life on Mars” (referencing another great song by David Bowie), heightening our urgency of exploration. If you’d like to explore more Mars facts, check out this article:

And of course, the timing is perfect for Hollywood as the new Matt Damon movie, The Martian, opens this weekend. The interesting story about the movie starts with the book that was written by a computer programmer with three excessive years of research, then self-published and offered to readers for free. In fact, you can still download the book free of charge. It was a smart move as it provided a wide audience and interest in making it into a blockbuster movie.

“Plenty of sunshine heading my way”

Nasa is singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah about Mars’ possibilities just as this famous verse was uttered from the lips of John Boehner this week after announcing his retirement. But this doesn’t mean our Congress or Nation will be singing the tune anytime soon. Mr. Boehner’s departure is bad news for all of us since it comes after legislators more conservative than him weren’t pleased that he wasn’t willing to shut down the government over defunding Planned Parenthood. As the Pope’s words were still echoing in the halls of Congress, his message of unity to our fractured democracy was disrespectfully ignored. Extreme views on both sides will never be implemented and compromise is the only way to govern effectively, yet what seems absent in our democratic process are the true diplomates who can build bridges to fix our ailments.

“and friends just can’t be found”

The United Nations is suppose to be a Global Bridge but sadly the body that represent all nations is sometimes more bias (especially against Israel) than bridge building. This week the UN walls heard the voices of world leaders at the annual General Assembly. The GA afforded the opportunity for Heads of State to speak their minds. Bibi’s speech spoke his disapproval of the UN with a 45 second silent glare at the audience. Obama’s speech was critiqued for what he didn’t include… the Palestinians which angered PA leader, Abbas who countered with his disownment of the 1995 Oslo Peace Accords including the agenda of a two-state solution. Several historic meetings also took place at the GA. Obama and Castro connected to continue their country’s renewed relationship but the pow wow between Putin and Obama had a few more thorns involved. Yes, they both are angling to eliminate Daesh (aka. ISIS) from Syria but Putin favors his long time friend, Assad while Obama still thinks Assad is Syria’s 2nd satan. Russia stuck anti-Assad forces in Syria this week but were they Daesh fighters or the moderate rebels (the US is trying to support). It’s a very messy situation in Syria but that seems to encourage recruitment to this satanic cause. Each year more crazies are joining Daesh with 30,000 fresh terrorist entering Syria this year to help fight their evil efforts. That’s twice as many as last year and they are coming from all across the world (including 250 Americans). http://www.ibtimes.com/efforts-stop-foreign-isis-recruitment-are-failing-estimated-30000-fighters-have-2115671

Great position of Israel’s flag

“and Moscow girls make me sing and shout”

Not only did Putin reach out to President Obama this week but he also connected with Elton John after Elton was pranked with a fake Putin call. It all started when Sir John expressed his outrage at Russia’s anti-gay stance and now Putin has agreed to meet with the “Pinball Wizard” whenever they can coordinate their schedules.

The excitement over Mars’ water discovery is expected since water is our most precious commodity. Our bodies are approximately 65% water. We can’t live without water for more than about 3 days. California has been in dire straits suffering through this current 3 year drought and 11% of the world’s population lives without access to drinking water. So protecting our Michigan water is of utmost importance. Thank You Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Petersfor helping to safeguard our Great Lakes with the The Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act. This measure will help prevent tanker accidents and pipeline ruptures so Great Lakes water will remain oil free for many generations to come. http://tinyurl.com/OilFreeGreatLakes

But Michigan has another water concern. Ever since Flint was disconnected to the Detroit River system and switched to the Flint River, their water supply has smelled and tasted “funny”. Turns out lead is the culprit which is quite dangerous especially for children whose blood-lead levels have doubled since the water switch. Gov. Snyder has expressed his concern and support to help rectify this serious situation as he secretly helped distribute 1,500 water filters to a Flint pastor. http://tinyurl.com/FlintFilters And sometimes too much water can cause catastrophies as with Hurricanes coliding with civilizations. Wishing the East Coast safety and minor disruptions with the onslaught of Hurricane Joaquin.

Nearly 800 Million people live without access to drinking water.

“Oh yes, I am wise, but it’s wisdom born of pain”

Kudos to Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards, on keeping vigilant with the facts on the benefits of protecting the vital work of PP at the congressional hearing this week. And after listening to some of the recordings, Cecile’s mother, the late Governor Ann Richards would have been proud as she stood up to badgering and hostile interplay with some of the legislators. Cecile volunteered her time to answer questions however conspicuously absent was the creator of the highly edited and dishonest video at the center of this witch hunt. Here is a detailed article about the proceedings that also includes 6 audio clips with one of them from Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/29/444528541/6-clips-of-audio-you-should-hear-from-the-planned-parenthood-hearing And for a comical viewpoint of the congressional proceedings, check out Seth Meyers‘ “closer look” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7pNkqVmNKM

Like (horrible) clockwork, our country has yet again sustained needless gunshot deaths and injuries from a mass shooting at a community college 90 miles south of Eugene. Condolences to the victims families and the injured. More discussion will again occur about gun regulations, but sadly (and even without a crystal ball, I can predict), absolutely nothing will be done to help stop the next mass shooting.

A well-deserved honor took place at Carnegie Hall Thursday with a musical tribute to Bill Withers and his legendary music created during his short career. This will be his 2nd honor this year as in April he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His career was mighty but short and on his own terms as he created and produced his music from 1970-1985 but then decided to get out of the business. Thank you City Winery and Michael Dorf for spotlighting this modest but beloved talent. Here is an American Bandstand classic of my favorite Bill Withers song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkuTn1A6gco

Wishing you and your family a Peaceful Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach!